Glass Weight Calculator
Mass per square metre, per pane and in total for glass.
Quick answer
With the default inputs: Length 1200 · Width 600 · Thickness per pane 10 etc.Total mass 108.00 kg
Edit the inputs below to recalculate.Inputs
Result
Total mass
108.00kg
| Area per pane | 0.720m² |
| Mass per m² | 25.00kg/m² |
| Mass per unit | 18.00kg |
| Total area | 4.320m² |
| Total glass thickness | 10.0mm |
| In tonnes | 0.108t |
| Panel limit at 50 kg (two people) | 2pcs |
| Vacuum lifter needed | No |
Glass is 2500 kg/m³, so every millimetre of thickness is 2.5 kg/m² — the one number worth remembering. 6 mm single is 15 kg/m², 6+12A+6 sealed is 30, 6+1.14 PVB+6 laminated is 30. Above 50 kg a pane needs two people or a lifter, and above 200 kg only mechanical handling.
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Formula
| Area | A = length × width in metres |
| Mass per m² | W = thickness × 2.5 × panes |
| Mass per unit | A × W |
| Total | per unit × quantity |
| Density basis | 2500 kg/m³ = 2.5 kg/m² per mm |
| Sealed units | Add the panes, ignore the cavity |
1200 × 600 × 10 mm single glazing, six panes: 0.720 m² and 18.00 kg each, 108.00 kg total. Made as 6+12A+6 sealed units the same size is 21.60 kg — beyond one person.
How to work it out
- Weight per m² of a single pane = thickness × 2.5 kg. A 10 mm pane is 25 kg/m² — the standard industry factor.
- Insulating glass multiplies by the number of panes: 6+12A+6 is two 6 mm panes, so 6 × 2.5 × 2 = 30 kg/m², with the cavity weightless.
- Laminated glass adds the interlayer: PVB is about 0.42 kg/m² per 0.42 mm, so 0.76 mm film is roughly 0.32 kg/m², negligible in most work.
- Total = pane area × unit weight × count, used for lifting, transport and facade load.
- Low-iron glass has the same 2.5 density; tempering changes strength, never weight.
Where it goes wrong
- Costing insulating glass as one pane — 6+12A+6 is two panes, so 30 kg/m² not 15, and everything downstream from lifting gear to facade loads is halved.
- Ignoring the interlayer — usually negligible at 0.3 kg/m², but not on multi-layer laminates such as security glass.
- Dividing 2.5 by 1000 again — 2.5 kg/(m²·mm) is already the converted factor; dividing gives a nonsensical 0.025.
- Using density 2500 kg/m³ with mixed units — 1 m² of 10 mm glass is 0.01 m³ and 25 kg, but one unit slip ruins the whole figure.
Material and cost
5 mm clear 60-90 CNY/m², 6 mm tempered 90-140, 6+12A+6 insulating 180-300, Low-E insulating 250-420, laminated 6+0.76PVB+6 about 200-320.
On site
- Estimate lifting at 25 kg/m²; a 2.4 × 1.2 m 10 mm pane is 72 kg, beyond two people and requiring vacuum lifters.
- Facade glass weight feeds the structural design, and understating it sizes mullions and anchors too small.
- Low-iron glass has a far lower spontaneous breakage rate (about 1 in 10000 against 3 in 1000), so specify it for high-rise facades.
Basis
- GB 15763.2-2005 Safety glazing materials in building, Part 2 (tempered glass)
- GB/T 11944-2012 Insulating glass units
- JGJ 102-2003 Technical code for glass curtain wall engineering, Section 3.2
FAQ
Why exactly 2.5 kg per square metre per millimetre?
Float glass is about 2500 kg/m³, and 1 m² at 1 mm is 0.001 m³, so 2.5 kg. The relation only holds with thickness in millimetres and area in square metres. Toughened and laminated glass runs 2.5-2.56, within 2%, so 2.5 is used on site.
How do I know if a pane can be handled manually?
Go by mass: under 30 kg one person can carry it a short way, 30-50 kg needs two, 50-120 kg needs vacuum lifters and at least three, and above 120 kg plan for mechanical handling. Size matters too — anything over 2.4 m long twists and cracks even when light, so carry it upright, never flat.
How is curtain wall load estimated?
Take the self weight from this tool and add wind. The characteristic wind load is the 50-year basic pressure times shape, height and gust factors — about 1.0-2.0 kN/m² inland, 3-4 kN/m² on a coastal high-rise. A 30 kg/m² sealed unit is only 0.3 kN/m², so curtain walls are governed by wind, not weight.
Cite this page
Use this format in reports, method statements or coursework. The link is permanent.
Building Calculator. Glass Weight Calculator. 2026-10-25. https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/glass-weight
Results are estimating aids only and are not a design basis. Construction and final accounts must follow the drawings, the applicable standards and an approved method statement. Anything affecting structural safety, shoring or falsework must be checked by a suitably qualified engineer.